Morning Walk

According to a CNBC article, 42 percent of Americans "reported undesired weight gain" this past year due to staying home during the pandemic. I don't know how accurate the figure is, but I've heard lots of people mention they've gained a few pounds due to spending more time in the kitchen making things like sourdough bread and gourmet meals.

Pink Lady apples make a great pie!

I was feeling pretty good about myself, managing to maintain the same weight all year even though I spent a lot of time making sourdough bread, oatmeal dinner rolls, apple pie, as well as Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon and lots of pulled pork (for some reason, the grocery kept putting pork tenderloins on sale this past year). But this spring, as the community started to reopen, I noticed my clothes felt tighter and I stepped on the scales. Yikes! Perhaps the unwanted pounds came from all the accumulated sedentary time in front of my computer while Zooming with book groups, music teachers, and friends. Perhaps it was from the stress of learning to re-engage with the "real" world. Okay, I know, I ate too much and didn't get enough exercise!

It wasn't like I spent the year without any exercise. Like many people in my neighborhood, I've taken lots of walks because it felt so good to get out of the house. And I did yoga (over Zoom), all year, twice a week, with an incredible yoga instructor named Jayme. But this past month, for some reason, I've been far too inert. As things around me reopen, I faced the realization that I still have a lot more I want to accomplish at home before I resume my regular volunteer and other activities.

This week I've taken a first step by getting back into my morning walk routine. Walks are so invigorating and refreshing, especially on a 70-degree morning like this, plus you never know what you will see.

One reason I didn't walk so much this past month was because of the 17-year cicadas, but when I stepped outside yesterday, I no longer heard their deafening chorus. It was so peaceful! And as I walked down the street, I wasn't stepping on a bed of exoskeltons.  

Our yard puts a smile on my face because of all the color. This morning the lily by our doorstep had fourteen blossoms, temporarily overshadowing the deep red geraniums, purple petunias, red and yellow cactus blooms, and gladiolus peeking out of their buds.  

As I walked through the neighborhood, I found myself in the company of ducklings on a stroll with their mom. Two others scurried away before I could snap a family photo. I sure hope they don't make a habit of walking in the street.

On the other side of the street I noticed a doe standing in the middle of the sidewalk staring at me. I didn't think too much about it, but on my return trip I spotted two fawns under a tree on my side of the road. They're in the cute stage now, and it's always easier to admire them in someone else's yard. Thankfully, they and their mom haven't discovered our lilies...yet!

My morning walk wouldn't be complete without a stop at at the community garden, where I have had a plot for a number of years. It's a basic garden--beets, carrots, lettuce, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, beans--but it gives me so much pleasure. I get a thrill if recently planted seeds have pushed through the soil, or if I see zucchini or butternut squash forming on the vine. I don't even mind pulling weeds. 

Time for the walk home, where I'm not, repeat not, going to have a snack before I start to work!